Endless Strife
by peddlebear
Summary: Goku goes back home after a hunting a trip and finds his house burning and his beloved family missing...


**Chapter 1**

The sun was at its zenith. Billowy clouds covered the sky over the great valley where Goku was hunting food for the day. The great Saiyan warrior was flying to his home after a catching a large nine-foot-long fish. The large size of the catch provided enough food for his family for about a week. Humming a cheerful tune to himself while gliding a short distance above the coniferous treetops across the forest, Goku suddenly noticed that there's something amiss.

"What's going on? Why is there such a large plume of smoke ahead, and it's coming from my home!"

Worrying that something bad had happened, Goku picked up his pace and speed back. Upon landing in his front yard, he realized to his utter horror that his house was burning!

"Chichi! Gohan!"

Ignoring the searing flames, he ran into his abode and quickly found out that no one was inside. Goku got back out and looked in the immediate area around his house: the well, the bushes, and all the other nooks and crannies, but found nothing. Goku scratched his head, puzzled by their disappearance.

"Where could they have gone. Did someone take them away?"

He titled his head up to sky, as if that would give him an answer. His Saiyan eyes noticed a speck in distance coming in his direction. Fearing that it might be an enemy, he channeled his ki throughout his muscular body, but then relaxed when he realized that it was just a pigeon. It landed near Goku. Tied around its leg was a folded piece of paper. With gentle hands, Goku picked up the pigeon and untied the note before releasing the pigeon.

The note read: "Kakorot, if you value the lives of your precious Chichi and Gohan, come to the city right now. I'll be waiting for you at the Central Square."

Not wasting anytime, Goku flew in the direction of the city. During his flight he began wondering. "Chichi and Gohan were indeed abducted, but who on Earth was powerful enough to overcome Gohan? Is it a new enemy or an old one?"

Once Goku arrived at the Central Square, which was the largest park in the city, he looked around and noticed nothing amiss. There were no high energy levels nor any suspcious-looking people. Everyone was just enjoying their time at the verdant park. He walked around at a brisk pace and then noticed a familar face.  
Vegeta, dressed in civilian clothes that consisted of a brown leather jacket and black denim jeans, was sitting at the edge of an elegant fountain that gushed water in geometric patterns. On his face was a smirk. Goku greeted Vegeta, not knowing that smirk was very sinister in nature.

"Hey, Vegeta!"

"What's up, Kakorot. I thought you were busy hunting in the woods."

"I need your help, Vegeta. Someone's abducted Chichi and Gohan. They told me they would wait for me here, but I don't see anyone. Have you seen anyone suspicious or felt a high power level?"

Vegeta gave a wicked chuckle, "You're naive as always, Kakorot. I'm the person who's waiting for you."

"What? Vegeta, how could you!"

"I'm sick of being in your shadow. I want to challenge you to a deathmatch! The winner will be the most powerful being in the universe!"

"I thought you were already freed from Babidi's influence! Has another evil consume you?"

"No, I'm doing this of my own will. I'm powerful enough to take on you now!"

"Where's Chichi and Gohan? Tell me where they are!"

"Don't worry, they're in good care."

"Please let them go!"

"Then let's fight!"

"We don't have to fight! There's no point in it!"

"If you don't want to fight me then they'll die! Hahahahahah!"

"Vegeta, please..."

The Saiyan prince pointed two fingers upward and the entired Central Square was enveloped in a dome of bright yellow light. Everything in the vicinity was vaporized in an instance under the explosive power of the blast. A huge crater was produced. The beautiful park that took years to built was no more. Goku was able to easily withstand the attack but the many civilians who perished weren't so lucky.

"That was just a warning."

"Why did you have to kill them?"

"I'll raze this whole city if you don't fight me!"

"If I promise to fight you, will you let Chichi and Gohan go?"

"Yes! Of course."

"Okay then. Where do we fight?"

"The Northern Plains."

Auras of flaming yellow energy surrounded Goku and Vegeta as they propelled themselves to the sky towards the direction of the Northern Plains. Vegeta eventually led Goku to a large open area near the center of the plains and landed. Goku landed softly on the ground whereas Vegeta's landing produced a large crater, instantly killing the tortoises that were walking nearby. The two Saiyans stood about a hundred feet apart while they stared at each other. Goku's face was somber while Vegeta's face was full of wickedness. For a while there was nothing by silence except for the sound of the wind. There was then slight rattling as small pebbles began rising from the earth, followed by the broken blades of grass and dried animal dung.

The Saiyan prince made the first strike. With blazing speed he raised his right hand and fired a wide beam from his palm. Goku narrowly avoided the deadly beam by making a side step, but not without losing some strands of his hair and patches of his orange-colored gi. The beam continued obstructed until it struck a large hill about fifty miles away. It exploded in a violent blast, killing the many families who were picnicking there.

"Nice dodge, Kakorot!" said a grinning Vegeta before suddenly disappearing.

Vegeta appeared right in behind Goku with his right fist drawn back and ready to strike. Spinning around at the last moment, Goku narrowly blocked the attack with his arm. The resulting collision of fist and arm resulting in a massive shockwave, producing a sizeable crater on the ground. Animals that were grazing in the area began running away. Birds scattered in frenzy flocks after realizing the area was no longer safe. The two Saiyans then began exchanging rapid flurries of punches. Each hit produced a shockwave, but they weren't as destructive as the one produced by the first strike.

"He's fast. I'm barely able to keep up!" thought Goku.

While still exchanging the supersonic blows, Vegeta said, "What's the matter, Kakorot? Am I too fast for you? Do you want me to slow down?"

"Ahhhhh!" yelled Goku.

"I'll slow down then!"

However, instead of slowing down, Vegeta increased his pace, moving his fists even faster than before. Goku suddenly saw an opening. He evaded one of Vegeta's punches and thrust his left fist forward to the right side of Vegeta's chest, sending the Saiyan prince flying backwards a great distance and creating a long, deep trench along the ground. With his fist charged with blazing energy, Goku jumped and flew forward towards Vegeta. The Saiyan prince slowed Goku's advance by hurling giant disks of ki, which Goku dodged entirely.

By the time Goku reached Vegeta, his entire right arm was glowing with bright energy. He swung his whole arm at Vegeta, expecting it to connect at such close range, but it didn't. It was blocked by Vegeta's invisible force field. Goku's whole body remained frozen in mid-air as he tried to force the punch through the barrier. His face was in a straining grimace.

"What's the matter, Kakorot? Are you feeling weak now?"

The barrier became distended as Kakorot slowly forced his fist into it to reach Vegeta. Knowing that the barrier won't last at this rate, Vegeta channeled his energy throughout the force field, making it expand suddenly in a rippling explosion. Goku was knocked back, but Vegeta wouldn't let him fly away. He held onto his lower leg with one hand and swung him around in circles before throwing him up into the sky.

Vegeta held up both fists. Loud, crackling lightning ran between them. His entire body glowed with an aura of powerful energy.

"DIE KAKOROT!" exclaimed the Saiyan prince as he fired a powerful beam with both fists. The whole sky seem to glow from the stream of energy that was flying towards Goku.

In a stroke of luck, Goku snapped out of his daze in time to notice the blast of energy that was coming from below him. He stopped himself in midair and quickly began charging for his own energy attack. At the last moment, just when Vegeta's beam was about to reach him, Goku thrust both of his palms forward and did a Kamehameha. When the two beams collided, Vegeta's beam was quickly pushed back. For a while, Goku thought that his Kamehameha was more powerful, but then its advance stopped a short distance from Vegeta.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahah!" Vegeta's laughter resounded across the plains and the heavens.

Vegeta's beam was pushing Goku's Kamehameha back at a fast pace. "NOooooooooooooooooo!"

_To be continued..._


End file.
